Harlan Ellison: Current Biography

Born: Cleveland, Ohio. 1934.

HARLAN ELLISON has been called “one of the great living American
short story writers” by the Washington Post; and the Los
Angeles Times said, “It’s long past time for Harlan Ellison
to be awarded the title: 20th Century Lewis Carroll.”

In a career spanning more than 40 years, he has won more awards for
the 75 books he has written or edited, the more than 1700 stories, essays,
articles, and newspaper columns, the two dozen teleplays and a dozen
motion pictures he has created, than any other living fantasist. He
has won the Hugo award 8½ times, the Nebula award three times, the Bram
Stoker award, presented by the Horror Writers Association, six times
(including The Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996), the Edgar Allan
Poe award of the Mystery Writers of America twice, the Georges Méliès
fantasy film award twice, two Audie Awards (for the best in audio recordings),
and was awarded the Silver Pen for Journalism by P.E.N., the international
writer’s union (this prestigious accolade was presented for his columns
in the L.A. Weekly, titled “An Edge in My Voice,” in defense
of the First Amendment). After writing the columns for only 29 weeks,
he beat out candidates from the L.A. Times, the N.Y.Times, and the Washington Post. He was
presented with the first Living Legend award by the International Horror
Critics at the 1995 World Horror Convention. He is also the only author
in Hollywood ever to win the Writers Guild of America award for Most
Outstanding teleplay (solo work) four times, most recently for “Paladin
of the Lost Hour” his Twilight Zone episode that was Danny
Kaye’s final role, in 1987. In March (1998), the National Women’s Committee
of Brandeis University honored him with their 1998 Words, Wit &
Wisdom award.

He has drawn attention to the art of writing by performing the remarkable
feat of actually creating and writing and completing stories in the
windows of bookstores (in Paris, London, New York, Boston, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, New Orleans and elsewhere) in full view of large audiences;
stories that have gone on to win major awards and literary prizes.
To gain background for his first novel, dealing with juvenile delinquency,
he went under an assumed name and ran with a kid gang in Brooklyn’s
dangerous Red Hook section for ten weeks. He has covered and written
about civil rights marches, riots, antiwar demonstrations and other
scenes of civil unrest. His two books of TV essays, THE GLASS TEAT
and THE OTHER GLASS TEAT, have sold millions of copies and are
currently being taught in media classes in more than 200 American Universities.

Ellison has traveled with rock groups such as The Rolling Stones, and
his novel of the scene, SPIDER KISS, is called by music critic
Greil Marcus “…the finest novel about the world of rock in the past
quarter century.”

In a 1980 landmark lawsuit he sued and beat ABC-TV and Paramount Pictures
for $337,000 when they plagiarized a television series he had created.
This was the famous Brillo/Future Cop case.

Among his most recognized works, translated into more than 40 languages
and selling in the millions of copies, are DEATHBIRD STORIES, STRANGE
WINE, APPROACHING OBLIVION, I HAVE NO MOUTH & I MUST SCREAM, WEB
OF THE CITY, LOVE AIN’T NOTHING BUT SEX MISSPELLED, ELLISON WONDERLAND,
MEMOS FROM PURGATORY, ALL THE LIES THAT ARE MY LIFE, SHATTERDAY,
and STALKING THE NIGHTMARE; and as creative intelligence and
editor of the all-time bestselling DANGEROUS VISIONS anthologies
and MEDEA: HARLAN’S WORLD, he has been awarded two Special Hugos
and the prestigious Milford Award for lifetime Achievement in Editing.

His latest publications include: THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON (Nemo
Press, 1987; Morpheus International, 1991), an enormous 1,000+ page,
thirty-five year retrospective of his work (this year, THE ESSENTIAL
ELLISON has been expanded to reflect a fifty-year career in writing);
ANGRY CANDY (Houghton Mifflin, 1988), winner of the 1989 World
fantasy award for best Short Story Collection and listed in the ENCYCLOPEDIAAMERICANA ANNUAL as one of the major works of American Literature
for 1988; HARLAN ELLISON’S WATCHING (Underwood–Miller, 1988)
a compilation of 20 years of film criticism; THE HARLANELLISON
HORNBOOK (Penzler Books & Mirage Press, 1990); HARLAN ELLISON’S
MOVIE (Mirage Press, 1990); DREAMS WITH SHARPTEETH
(Book-of-the-Month Club, 1991); MEFISTO IN ONYX (Mark V. Ziesing,
1993); MIND FIELDS (Morpheus, 1994) with Polish artist Jacek
Yerka; I, ROBOT: THE ILLUSTRATED SCREENPLAY (based on Isaac Asimov’s
story-cycle; Warner Books, 1994); THE CITY ON THE EDGEOF
FOREVER screenplay (Borderlands Press, 1995, and White Wolf, 1996);
SLIPPAGE (Mark V. Ziesing, Houghton Mifflin, 1997); and the coffee
table edition of “REPENT, HARLEQUIN!” SAID THETICKTOCKMAN
(Underwood Books, 1997) with paintings, rendered by Rick Berry.

May (1996) saw the publication, by White Wolf Publishing, of EDGEWORKS:
The Collected Ellison (Vol. #1). This first of a series of 20 volumes
of the collected fiction, essays, teleplays and columns contains the
books AN EDGE IN MY VOICE and OVER THE EDGE, with completely
revised, updated and expanded manuscripts…the variorum texts! November
(1996) saw the publication of the second EDGEWORKS omnibus, containing
the books SPIDER KISS and STALKING THENIGHTMARE.
In rapid succession White Wolf Publishing also released volumes 3 and
4 of the EDGEWORKS series.

Ellison served as Creative Consultant on the revival of the CBS-TV
series The Twilight Zone until late November of 1985,
at which time he resigned (to considerable media attention) due to network
censorship of a script dealing with racism that he had written and was
in the process of directing. From 1993 until 1998 and the end of the
series, Ellison also served as Conceptual Consultant on the popular
syndicated hit series Babylon 5. Recently, Ellison adapted
his short story “The Face of Helene Bournouw” for a Showtime cable series.

“The Human Operators” (based on a short story co-written with A.E.
van Vogt), aired early in 1999 as part of the Outer Limits
series.

Also a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Ellison has voiceover
credits on many shows including Pirates of Darkwater,
Mother Goose &Grimm, Space Cases,
Phantom 2040, The Sci-Fi Channel and Babylon 5
(in the episode titled “Ceremonies of Light and Dark” Harlan plays the
Voice of the B5 computer, and in the episode “Day of the Dead” you can
hear him as “Zooty”). Ellison’s first TV appearance as a fictional
character was also on Babylon 5 in the episode “The Face
of the Enemy.” He played a Psi-Cop opposite Walter Koenig as “Bester.”
His latest acting role was as the mysterious “Grifter” in the series
Psi Factor. Mr. Ellison has also done many Spoken Word
recordings (most recently for Audio Literature’s series of recordings;
including Mr. Ellison’s short story collection MIDNIGHT IN THE SUNKEN
CATHEDRAL) and has received Grammy nominations for his recordings.
For six years, he was the weekly commentator on The USA Network’s Sci-FiBuzz show. He continued in the role of weekly commentator
for Galaxy Online with his on-screen series Working Without A
Net®.

On 30 April 1999, Mr. Ellison won two Audie Awards (presented by the
Audio Publishers Association to honor the best in audio recordings)
in the categories of Solo Narration, Male, for reading
Ben Bova’s CITY OF DARKNESS (published by Dove Audio) and Multi-Voiced
Presentation, as part of an all-star cast reading THE TITANIC
DISASTER HEARINGS: THE OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF THE 1912 SENATORIAL INVESTIGATION
by Tom Kuntz (published by Dove Audio).

Ellison won a Bram Stoker award for his collection of stories THE
VOICE FROM THE EDGE (Volume 1). A follow-up collection titled,
MIDNIGHT IN THE SUNKEN CATHEDRAL,is currently
available.

Mr. Ellison worked as a consultant and host for the radio series 2000X,
a series of 26 one-hour dramatized radio adaptations of famous SF stories
for The Hollywood Theater of the Ear. The series was broadcast on National
Public Radio (NPR) in 2000 & 2001. Ellison’s classic story “Repent,
Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” was included as part of this significant
series, starring Robin Williams, with the author in the role of Narrator.
Harlan Ellison was awarded the Ray Bradbury Award For Drama Series:
For Program Host & Creative Consultant: NPR Presentation of 2000X.

Harlan Ellison can be heard as the voice of the insane god-computer
AM in the CD-ROM computer game, the bestselling I HAVE NO MOUTH,
AND I MUST SCREAM. Though Mr. Ellison doesn’t even own a computer,
he has amazed the world of electronic entertainment by creating and
implementing a cutting edge “ethical scenario” that one reviewer lauded
as “…a game that challenges both intelligence and wisdom, and in this
longtime gameplayer’s experience, it stands practically alone in the
gaming landscape.” Ellison reprised his role as the voice of the evil
computer AM in the broadcast adaptation of I HAVE NO MOUTH, AND I
MUST SCREAM for the BBC radio series Chillers.

In 1990, Ellison was honored by P.E.N. for his continuing commitment
to artistic freedom and the battle against censorship. He lives with
his wife, Susan, inside the Lost Aztec Temple of Mars, in Los Angeles.

Harlan Ellison’s 1992 novelette “The Man Who Rowed Christopher Columbus
Ashore” was selected from more than 6,000 short stories published in
the U.S. for inclusion in the 1993 edition of THE BESTAMERICAN
SHORT STORIES.

After three years in production, January 1995 saw the debut of Ellison’s
own ongoing, monthly comic book from Dark Horse called HARLANELLISON’S DREAM CORRIDOR. In its first year of publication the
graphic narrative magazine garnered such overwhelming and unanimous
rave reviews—and the original stories Ellison wrote for each issue won
so many awards—that in August of 1996 the magazine was re-launched in
book-style format, with more pages, as HARLAN ELLISON’S DREAMCORRIDOR QUARTERLY.

“Chatting with Anubis,” an original short story written especially
for HARLAN ELLISON’S DREAM CORRIDOR #4, won The Deathrealm Award
for The Best Short Fiction of 1995 and the Bram Stoker Award for Superior
Achievement in Short Fiction which was given out by The Horror Writers
Association in June 1996. At the same awards ceremony, Harlan Ellison
was also given The Lifetime Achievement Award. His latest collection,
SLIPPAGE, won the 1998 Locus Poll Award as Best Story Collection.

On 22 June 1998, Ellison’s career reached a dizzying summit when he
became the answer to a clue in the Double Jeopardy round of that evening’s
broadcast of the television game show, Jeopardy.

He is a frequent guest on ABC’s Politically Incorrect
with Bill Maher.

In January 2001, Mr. Ellison signed to develop
his award-winning Outer Limits script, DEMON WITH A
GLASS HAND, for Miramax’s Dimension Films as a theatrical feature.
He is working with director David Twohy whose previous credits include:
THE ARRIVAL, PITCH BLACK, G.I. JANE, and THE FUGITIVE.
Other Ellison works currently in the pipeline for film and TV include:
“Along the Scenic Route,” optioned by Paramount Pictures.

Mr. Ellison’s first Young Adult collection, TROUBLEMAKERS:
STORIES BY HARLAN ELLISON, was released in November 2001.

And as Tom Snyder said on the CBS Late, Late Show: “An
amazing talent; meeting him is an incredible experience.”

Harlan Ellison: Brief Bio

HARLAN ELLISON was recently characterized
by The New York Times Book Review as having “the spellbinding
quality of a great nonstop talker, with a cultural warehouse for a mind.”
The Los Angeles Times suggested, “It’s long past time
for Harlan Ellison to be awarded the title: 20th century
Lewis Carroll.” And the Washington Post Book World said
simply, “One of the great living American short story writers.”

He has written or edited 75 books; more
than 1700 stories, essays, articles, and newspaper columns; two dozen
teleplays, for which he received the Writers Guild of America most outstanding
teleplay award for solo work an unprecedented four times;
and a dozen movies. He won the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan
Poe award twice, the Horror Writers Association Bram Stoker award six
times (including The Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996), the Nebula
three times, the Hugo 8½ times, and received the Silver Pen for Journalism
from P.E.N. Not to mention The World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy
Award, the American Mystery Award, two Audie Awards, the Ray Bradbury
Award, and a Grammy nomination for Spoken Word recordings.

Harlan Ellison’s 1992 novelette “The Man
Who Rowed Christopher Columbus Ashore” was selected from more than 6,000
short stories published in the U.S. for inclusion in the 1993 edition
of THE BESTAMERICAN SHORT STORIES.

Mr. Ellison worked as a consultant and host
for the radio series 2000X, a series of 26
one-hour dramatized radio adaptations of famous SF stories for The Hollywood
Theater of the Ear. The series was broadcast on National Public Radio
(NPR) in 2000 & 2001. Ellison’s classic story “Repent,
Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” was included as part of this significant
series, starring Robin Williams, with the author in the role of Narrator.
Harlan Ellison was awarded the Ray Bradbury Award For Drama Series:
For Program Host & Creative Consultant: NPR Presentation of 2000X.

He created great fantasies for The
Twilight Zone (including Danny Kaye’s final performance) and
The Outer Limits; traveled with The Rolling Stones; marched
with Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery; once stood off the
son of a Mafia kingpin with a Remington XP-100, while wearing nothing
but a bath towel; sued Paramount and ABC-TV for plagiarism and won $337,000—and
probably is the most contentious person now walking the
Earth. But the bottom line, as voiced by Booklistlast
year, is this: “One thing for sure: the man can write.”

In January 2001, Mr. Ellison signed to develop
his award-winning Outer Limits script, DEMON WITH A
GLASS HAND, for Miramax’s Dimension Films as a theatrical feature.
He is working with director David Twohy whose previous credits include:
THE ARRIVAL, PITCH BLACK, G.I. JANE, and THE FUGITIVE.
Other Ellison works currently in the pipeline for film and TV include:
“Along the Scenic Route,” optioned by Paramount Pictures.

To celebrate the golden anniversary of Harlan Ellison’s
half a century of storytelling, Morpheus International, publishers of
THE ESSENTIAL ELLISON: A 35-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE, commissioned
the book’s primary editor, award-winning Australian writer and critic
Terry Dowling, to expand Ellison’s three-and-a-half decade collection
into a 50-year retrospective. Mr. Dowling went through fifteen years
of new stories and essays to pick what he thought were the most representative
to be included in this 1000+ page collection. Along with THE ESSENTIAL
ELLISON: A 50-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE (Morpheus International), Mr. Ellison’s
first Young Adult collection, TROUBLEMAKERS: STORIES BY HARLAN
ELLISON, is currently available in bookstores.

And as Tom Snyder said on the CBS Late,
Late Show: “An amazing talent; meeting him is an incredible
experience.”

In 1990, Ellison was honored by P.E.N. for his continuing commitment
to artistic freedom and the battle against censorship. He lives with
his wife, Susan, inside the Lost Aztec Temple of Mars, in Los Angeles.

A Briefer Biography of Harlan Ellison

by Harlan Ellison, from the Afterword to The Essential Ellison:
For a brief time I was here; and for a brief time I mattered.